You Make Me Crazy
by degrassi4eva
Summary: JT's with Manny, Kendra broke up with Toby. So what do Toby and Liberty do? Make them jealous, of course!
1. Broken Hearts

A little humor/romance. I don't know where I'm going with it. Basically, Liberty and Toby get together to make JT and Kendra jealous. I dunno who's gonna get together.

(all those who have me on their authors alert list should recognize that this is the same as "the sweethearts". My name was being evil.)

((Here we go!!))

Oh, she was beautiful. Short, choppy black hair in a cute pixie cut, pouty lips that drove him insane, eyes darker than night... Toby was in love. He was walking on air every time he thought of her, which was often. When she smiled, he smiled wider. When she laughed, he treasured it. He loved her, he knew he did.

"Uh... Toby?" Kendra asked him, looking at him strangely.

"Yes, my love?" He asked her sweetly. He loved being sweet with her.

"Toby, are you listening to me?" She asked.

"I can hear you perfectly, my darling. Your voice is like music to my ears, and-"

"Ugh, Toby, THIS is what I'm talking about!" Kendra nearly shouted.

"Huh?" Toby was confused. Why was his angel so angry? What had he done to make her mad? He hoped it was a misunderstanding. He loved her so much, he never wanted to see her mad. His beautiful Kendra, even pretty when angry, was too important to him to lose.

"That! That whole lovey-dovey mushy stuff! I hear enough of that around Spinner and Paige! Those two, all cutsey-cutsey all over the place so much I wanna throw them out the window!" She sighed, and took a deep breath. Then she said the words Toby feared most.

"Toby, I don't think we should see each other anymore."

And that was it. She walked away, leaving him with nothing but the pieces of his broken heart.

(())

She was intrigued by him. Him and his light brown unruly hair, his eyes that always held laughter, his jokes and schemes and just... everything. He seemed so sweet when he wanted to be, and he could switch to cool, calm, suave at a moments notice. He was smart, even when he didn't want to be. She was in love. Most definitely in love.

Now all she had to do was steal his attention away from...

"Manny! Hey, Manny, wait up!" JT called, running across the schoolyard to catch up with Manny Santos, his crush since eighth grade. Liberty sighed. She watched him run, feeling so helpless she could cry. She felt like screaming, crying, and running away forever when she saw those two together. And it was breaking her heart more than ever now that JT had finally gotten up the nerve to ask her out. She said yes, but Liberty knew the real reason.

Craig.

Manny was trying to make Craig jealous.

Liberty was certain JT knew.

But it broke her heart all the same.

Turning away before she could see them being lovey-dovey, Liberty turned to the other side of the schoolyard. There was Toby, her lab-partner, sitting hunched over on a bench like his entire world just fell apart. Curious, Liberty made her way toward him.

"Hey, Toby, you ok?" she asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Leave me alone." he sniffed. _Is he crying?_ Liberty thought to herself.

She took one of Toby's arms and moved it, revealing a tear-streaked face.

"Tell me what's wrong." Liberty pressed, surprised to see the tears.

Toby wiped his eyes and looked away. "Kendra and I broke up." he mumbled.

"What?!" Liberty was shocked. "But I thought you loved Kendra!"

Toby turned to Liberty, eyes hot with anger and pain. "Of course I love her! I've loved her since the day we met!!" then, he sighed. "Let me rephrase. She broke up with me." Liberty sat down next to him, patting his shoulder sympathetically.

"Well, I guess we should both take better care of our hearts, huh? Instead of letting just anyone trample them, right?" Liberty sighed as she looked back across the field at JT, who was laughing with Manny, and holding her uncomfortably close. Manny only laughed with him when Craig walked by. Which was often.

Toby looked up at Liberty, and followed her stare. He saw whom she was staring at and laughed.

"Ah, JT. You simple little fool. Your girlfriend is staring at another guy. You've got no chance. You're gonna get burned." Toby laughed. He stopped as he noticed Liberty wasn't laughing. She was watching JT kiss Manny, and Manny kiss back, as Craig walked by.

"What?" Toby asked. Then he saw it.

That look on her face. The pain in her eyes.

And he recognized it.

"Liberty?" He questioned, but was surprised when she didn't seem to hear him.

"Liberty? Liberty, look t me." Slowly, Liberty's head turned in his direction. They looked into each other's eyes and it hit. It dropped on them like a bomb from the sky.

They were both in love. And they were both in pain.

Toby moved to put an arm around her, and wiped away a tear he saw rolling down her cheek. It didn't matter that they were at school, surrounded by their peers, and that people were probably going to say something about this. They were two people. In pain, but not physically. In love, but not with each other. In need of something, but they couldn't grasp what. All they could do was comfort one another.

Liberty smiled. "Like I said, we need to guard our hearts a little better, huh?"

Toby laughed. "I guess so." He held her closer.

Then, they felt two pairs of eyes burning into their backs. They looked at each other and turned around just enough to see who was staring. Kendra was sitting halfway across the field with her friends, glaring at the scene. JT had stopped kissing Manny long enough to glare at Toby. Both of them looked angry enough to kill.

Toby and Liberty looked at each other.

They smiled, and an unspoken agreement was formed.

"Hey, Toby, you wanna come over after school?" Liberty asked, making sure both Kendra and JT heard. Toby took the hint.

"Of course, my darling." Toby answered, again just loud enough for Kendra and JT to hear. "I would be delighted."

They both got up and walked into school, passing both JT and Kendra, hand in hand.

Oh yes. They were both in love. And both in pain.

And they were going to do something about it.


	2. Retaliation Plans

Ok, again, still don't know where this story's going, but I like it.

(())

Liberty waited outside school about fifteen minutes before she felt arms being wrapped around her waist. She immediately stiffened, until she heard a low voice whisper in her ear.

"Calm down, JT is just coming out the door." She smiled, recognizing Toby's voice. She jumped around to face him and hugged him sweetly.

"You scared me! If I didn't like ya so much, I'd have pulled a stun-gun on ya by now!" She joked, knowing JT was just coming down the stairs.

"I know, I know. Couldn't resist!" They laughed and Toby pulled her closer as they heard approaching footsteps.

"So. Kendra breaks up with ya and you pick the uber-nerd as a rebound. Nice choice." They heard JT say from behind them, in a voice tinged with spite.

"Jealous much?" was all Toby had to say. JT stopped talking and turned to walk away.

"Let's go to my house, ok?" Liberty asked, before grabbing Toby's hand and heading down the street.

They walked in silence, both thinking about what they knew was going to happen. If they went through with this, it would be a risk. A serious risk. It could make or break their future relationships with JT or Kendra. But by the time they reached Liberty's door, they had resolved that all was fair in love and war. Even this.

Liberty opened the door and led Toby inside. The house was large and beautiful, decorated with nearly every luxury. The rooms were painted in rich dark colors that made everything else stand out. The place itself was huge. The smallest room could've fit four of Toby's room in it. Liberty, of course, didn't seem phased. She just led a stunned Toby through to the family room. Sitting down on a large fluffy couch, she had a look on her face that suggested nonchalance.

"Ok. Let's get down to business and figure this out." Liberty began, putting on the dignified air she did when the discussion involved an agreement.

"Liberty, your place is HUGE!" Toby was still in shock.

"So? Ok. If we're going to do this, we need rules. Rule one: No kissing or making out of any sort unless the situation calls for it."

"Right." Toby agreed.

"Number Two: Back each other up. I'll go along with what you say and vice-versa, unless it involves sex. Got it?"

"Right."

"And number three: This is for the purpose of getting you with Kendra, and Me with JT. Nothing else. Got it?"

"Yeah, I get it." Toby answered. "When does this start?"

"Word will probably spread we're a couple by tomorrow. It'll be hot news if Paige has anything to say about it." Liberty answered. She pulled out her books and papers. "Wanna work on science homework while you're here?"

"Ok." Came Toby's reply as he dug through his things as well.

(())

About half way through page five, Liberty's phone rang. Liberty crossed the room to pick up the cordless.

"Hello? Oh, Hey Kendra!" She sent a meaningful look in Toby's direction as she said the name, and Toby smiled.

"Huh? Oh, yes he's here, do you want to talk to- No? Why not? Oh. I see. Well, what's wrong? What are you calling me for?" She smiled at Toby, who crossed the room to get closer to the conversation.

"Really? That's it? Well, sure, I'll tell you. You see, Toby was very upset that you broke up with him, so I kind of calmed him down a bit and he asked me out. Simple as that." She smiled. "Well, ok, if you really have to go..." She took the phone away from her ear quite suddenly and laughed.

"She hung up on me!"

"That's my angel." Stated Toby, grinning widely. "Thanks Lib." He said, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow. Can't wait." With that, he grabbed his books and practically skipped out the door.

(())

Toby was very surprised when he got home to discover a disheveled JT on his doorstep.

"What's a Matter, Buddy?" He asked innocently.

"Man, since when did you start going out with Liberty? LIBERTY!? What's with your brain?! You know how much I-" JT cut himself off. There was silence for a moment.

"How much you what?" Toby pressed.

"How... much I hate her! She's such a little stuck-up priss. What do you see in her?!" JT riled, grabbing Toby's shoulders and shaking them, as if attempting to knock some sense into him.

"Maybe what you see in her." Toby mumbled, just loud enough to be mistaken.

"What did you say?"

"I said, what do you THINK I see in her?" Toby pretended to cover.

"Oh. I thought you said something else. Well... I guess man. If you're really in to her..."

"Yeah yeah, I know, you'll be there too." Toby said smiling.

JT smiled half-heartedly at Toby for the first time since forever that day. He patted Toby's shoulder, mumbled his congratulations, and walked away. Though as he was walking, Toby could tell he was trying hard not to care. Just like Toby was...


	3. Fun and Affective

Ok, here's the next chappy! And I figured out what pairing I'm gonna make this story!

(())

The next morning, Liberty wanted desperately to just stay in bed. But she knew she couldn't. She couldn't abandon Toby like that, nor could she wait to put the plan they had created into action. So she grudgingly rolled out of bed and trudged toward the bathroom.

As she got her shower, she thought of all the implications of the plan. Toby was probably the best person she could be paired with in a situation like this. He was reliable, loyal, and a damn good actor. And he knew JT well, which was a plus. He could probably figure out what JT would do next. If the plan was working on JT, Toby would be the first to know, even if JT didn't say anything. Toby knew JT well, and that was a ton of advantage.

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She went to her room and picked out a pair of jeans and a sweater. Smiling at her fully dressed reflection, she grabbed her bookbag and headed out the door.

On her way to school, she thought about both the public and private objects of her affection. She wasn't sure what she saw in JT that made her heart skip with his smile. But she knew it was there. She felt it every time she saw him. It made her stomach flip and her legs turn to jelly. It made her want to be one of those girls who smiled flirty and giggled at everything. But she knew she couldn't. So she snapped at him instead, getting into fiery battles of words and wit. And though she knew these fights were bringing her nowhere near where she wanted to be, she loved every minute of them.

Toby was different. If she could pick the person she fell in love with, Liberty knew it would be Toby. Toby was sweet. Nice. Smart. Reliable. Loyal. Even a little cute. She knew that he was not the type of guy to dump a girl for no reason. Nor the type for one-night-stands. Nor the type of guy who would do something stupid, like cheat on his girlfriend. He was the ideal boyfriend. Liberty couldn't fathom why Kendra would break up with him. So what if the guy was mushy a lot of the time?

Reaching the school steps, she saw JT talking to Toby. She smiled and skipped up to them, noticing Kendra looking at her jealously. She came up behind them, and announced her presence by wrapping an arm around Toby's shoulders.

"Hey... Miss me?" She asked Toby, smiling and pecking his cheek.

"Every second." Toby replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. "How's my favorite girl?"

"'How's my favorite girl?'" JT mimicked. "Jeez, you guys are disgusting!"

"Well, you should be on the outside looking in when you and Manny get going. Now _that's_ disgusting." Liberty countered. She and Toby laughed as the same thought drifted through both their heads: _At least, it is when Craig's around..._

"Yeah... well..." JT was, for once, struck speechless.

"Speak of the tube-top-wearing devil..." Toby pointed behind JT toward a very... scantily clad Manny, who was talking animatedly with Craig.

"I gotta go." said JT quickly. He made his way to the chatting couple. Toby and Liberty looked at each other, large grins on both their faces. Liberty was once again glad that if this plan had to involve anyone, it was Toby. He seemed to understand the way she thought. It was as if the two could read each other's thoughts.

"She's gonna dump him, you know." Toby said, smiling warmly at Liberty. She grinned back wickedly.

"Yup. I know."

"I take it from your mad-scientist-like grin that this isn't over." He said, grinning even wider.

"Oh, far from it, 'baby'." She grinned wider.

"Why 'darling', I do believe you're scheming." Pulling her closer, Toby whispered in her ear.

"You got that right, 'hon'." Liberty giggled as if he had whispered something less-than-platonic.

"Oh, Cherí," Toby took her hand and kissed it, doing an adorably bad imitation of Gomez Addams. "You know I love it when you scheme." Liberty laughed.

"Save it, Lurch. PDA's can get you a detention. C'mon." she grabbed his arm and steered him toward the school.

(())

Toby never thought making people jealous could be so fun. Liberty was making it so, wasn't she?

Kendra had been leering at her the entire time, and she didn't seem fazed. Ah, Kendra... He'd missed his angel in the time he'd been away from her. Had it only been a day? He was convinced it had been a year.

The school day had been boring. Kendra simply refused to look his way once. He'd missed those eyes. He was supposed to meet Liberty in the computer lab after school, so he picked up everything off his desk as soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

He got to the computer lab just in time to see Liberty set down her own things by a computer.

"Hey." He ventured, not exactly knowing what to say.

"Hey. That was great this morning. Fun, and affective." She smiled at him. Was it his imagination, or did the room just get a whole lot brighter? And Warmer? And a lot more comfortable? Hmm... He'd figure that one out later. He sat down next to her and smiled back.

"So, what's next on the evil agenda? We gonna make up pet names and wear matching outfits or something?" Toby asked.

"Pet names are taken care of. After the scene this morning, It's safe to say that we'll probably do best to use Gomez and Mortisha as our 'joke couple', aka, the TV couple we choose to assume the identities of when within fifteen feet of each other. Annoyingly mushy, I know, but fun and affective. As for matching outfits... never gonna happen." Liberty stated as if talking about the weather.

"Ok, so wait, now what? What's our next plan of attack?" Toby asked.

Liberty got up and crossed the lab, pointing to the flyer on the wall. "The game this Friday. Kendra will be there to support Spinner, and JT's the mascot, so..."

Toby crossed the room and wrapped an arm around her waist. "'Tish, You're a genius!" he said, planting a kiss on her cheek. She laughed.

"Gomez, darling, hush. Anyone could just walk in!" Liberty said, in a thick Mortisha-like voice.

"Oh, but isn't that half the excitement! Do you remember when I took you on that holiday in the La Brea Tar Pits?" Toby took her hand and twirled her as if they were dancing.

"How could I not?" Liberty countered, holding back laughter. "Those weeds..."

"That stench..." 'Gomez' pulled 'Mortisha' back into his arms in an over-dramatic show of affection.

"I was surprised how empty the place was... there was practically no one there." 'Mortisha' was not surprised. She'd seen enough 'Addam's Family' reruns on TV Land to know what happens next. 'Gomez' dipped her with all the suaveness and finesse of the original.

"Carra-Mía..." As soon as Toby said this, they both heard a door slam. Looking up, they saw a slightly ticked off looking Kendra standing about seven feet away.

"Oh, am I interrupting anything?" she asked innocently. Toby had to admit, even though he loved the girl, the voice sounded anything but innocent. The two composed themselves quickly as Kendra crossed the room.

"I just left my book somewhere, I'm not exactly sure where."

"Which book?" Toby asked.

"Uh, my science text book."

"Don't we keep those in the lab?" Liberty asked. Kendra stopped walking.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot. See ya. Sorry again." Kendra practically flew out the door. Liberty looked at Toby, and grinned.

Toby looked at Liberty and smiled.

That had been fun, they silently agreed. Fun and affective.


	4. What Anger Does

Hey everyone! Author's Words of Wisdom: When people ask you to r&r their stories, DO IT! It's probably really good stuff that just hasn't gotten enough attention!

(())

Toby was feeling very insecure this morning. There was no sign of Liberty, but Kendra seemed to be everywhere. He had gone to the computer lab, only to finder there. The Library, there. The cafeteria, there. What was her problem?!

She was coming up to him, striding confidently as if she had something to say.

"Hey, Toby." She said sweetly.

"Uh... Hey." Toby wasn't sure it was a good idea to talk to her alone.

"I just wanted to say that it's great you moved on so quickly." she said in a sweet voice.

"Thanks." Toby said, nodding, not being able to think of anything else to say.

"And I wanted to say I've moved on, too."Kendra continued, smiling.

"Really? That's good for you." Toby wasn't sure what she meant, but he didn't like the sound of it.

"I have a brand new boyfriend. His name's Paul and he's really sweet. You should meet him!" She said with an enthusiastic smile on her face.

Toby felt his heart crumble. Into tiny pieces. Too small for a microscope.

"That's.... great, Kendra. I'm happy for you. Both of you. Uh, I have to go. I have to figure out what's happened to Liberty." Toby got out of there as fast as possible.

(())

He found Liberty in the nurses office, doing a very good job faking a sprained ankle. Toby sat next to her, a concerned look on his face. The nurse came into the room and sat at her desk.

"Well, Miss Van Zandt, your parents are too wrapped up with work to come and get you. They said you know the way home. Is it possible for you to walk?"

"I could help her get home, if she can't walk well." Toby ventured. The nurse smiled brightly.

"Wonderful. I'll excuse you from your last few classes. Go ahead, Liberty."The nurse obviously didn't feel like driving anywhere.

Toby wrapped an arm around her waist, and Liberty stood. As they made their way out of school they stayed silent. But as soon as they got off school grounds, Toby let go of Liberty, and Liberty straightened her body back to her normal fast strides.

"Wanna tell me what that was about, 'Miss Van Zandt'?" Toby asked.

"Wanna tell me why you offered to walk me home, Mr. Isaacs?" Liberty countered.

Point Taken.

As they reached Liberty's doorstep, Toby turned to walk back to school, but Liberty grabbed his arm. Silently, they walked inside. They got to the living room and sat on the couch.

"Tell me now?" Toby asked.

"They assigned me a project with... Him and Manny. My luck, can you believe it?" she laughed bitterly. That didn't stop a tear from trickling down her cheek.

Toby moved over and wrapped an arm around her as she actually started crying.

"I mean, just my luck, right? I've been trying SO hard to stop loving him. SO hard. Do they even realize? No. After I've done so much. I have to let go, I just have to..." She cried, putting her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, well, here's something even better." Toby said as he held her shoulders to make sure she was looking straight at him, straight in his eyes. "Kendra came up to me today and gave me some 'good news'. She's over me. She's got a new boyfriend, Paul..." His voice cracked on the name, and he knew if he didn't stop talking, he would start crying, too.

"Oh my God, Toby, are you ok?" Liberty knew he had to be taking this pretty hard.

"I don't know. I feel so..."

"Empty?" Liberty finished.

"Numb?" Toby countered.

"Like you don't know how you're actually able to handle this..." Liberty began.

"But you know when you're around that person, you can." Toby finished.

"Like you don't know anything more painful..." Liberty began.

"Until they do something else to break your heart..." Toby finished.

They stared at each other. They could hear one another's hearts beat, and felt angry that they beat for someone else. They could see in each other's eyes, all the pain... This just brought back their own pain, sadness, and anger... They didn't know how they were taking this... But they could feel the pain rise, the anger bubble inside them... And they saw it in each other, too...

That's when they kissed.

(())

In the very back of Liberty's mind, she knew kissing Toby was wrong. But, for once, she didn't care. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hungrily, heatedly. She pulled him to her, pressing her body against his. Who was she in love with, again? Something with initials, but she'd figure it out later. Their lips were hot against each others, and were soon opened. Her tongue lashed out to join the dance, and battled with Toby's for dominance. They explored each other's mouths, tasting each other. They were both unskilled, but the kiss felt perfect...

(())

Toby was sure his brain had run away or something. Kissing Liberty was wrong, but why didn't he really care? He didn't know. His body seemed to move of it's own accord. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her with abandon. Everything; school, JT, even Kendra flew from his mind as the kiss continued. It was fever-pitch by now. Liberty ran her fingers down his back under his shirt, and he gasped into the kiss. It was only then that he considered parting for air...

(())

"THIS IS WRONG!" They both said as they sprang apart. Toby pulled down his shirt and Liberty ran her fingers through her hair. She cleared her throat and sat back down on the couch.

"It's only natural for us to want to take out our frustration like that-"

"Or our desperateness." Toby continued.

"It's psychologically healthy to feel the need for comfort." Liberty stated.

"Some of the best relationships of our time were built on this theory." Toby continued.

"Yes, true. However, I am in love with JT."

"As I love Kendra."

"So... we should be focusing our energy on that instead of... you know." Liberty said, smiling.

"Of course." Toby said.

Liberty moved over to make room, and Toby sat down next to her. He ran a hand through his now-tousled hair and smiled at Liberty.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Same thing as I said before: go to the game. We'll see what happens there, then figure it out along the way." Liberty answered.

"Ok. I guess I better get back, huh?"

"Yeah, guess you better... See ya." Liberty didn't know why she didn't want him to leave.

"Yeah, see ya." Toby reluctantly got up and stepped out the door.

Liberty didn't know what possessed her to kiss Toby. TOBY of all people! She got up and went to her room, still feeling his lips on hers.

(())

Instead of going back to school, Toby went to his house after he left Liberty's. He couldn't think of any reason for his behavior. Kissing LIBERTY?! Without Kendra or JT around?! What was THAT?! He went straight to his room and flopped down on his bed.

And even after convincing himself it was stupid, that he never should have kissed her, He could still remember exactly how those lips felt on his...


	5. We Try To Forget

Ok, here we go again!

(())

The week seemed to breeze by, and soon it was the night of the game. Liberty didn't know how she was going to handle this... She was supposed to be making JT jealous, and she'd been doing a great job of it so far. But tonight she felt.... skittish.... nervous.... worried about what to wear for the first time in her life. And how to do her hair... and make-up, she'd have to wear make-up... Her mental checklist was going into overdrive.

_Gee, I hope that To- JT doesn't notice..._ She thought.

After the kiss, Liberty had, for once in her life, become dreadfully confused. JT was the guy who made her knees weak, her heart speed up, her hands tremble.... but now.... whenever she was around Toby she thought about that kiss. Every time they pulled a stunt, every time they met to plan, every time he even looked across a room to smile at her...

Her breathing would hitch...

... Her mind would shut down...

...Her heart would stop beating for a nanosecond...

And she would have to command herself to move on, to live, because that kiss was never going to happen again unless she dreamt it.

Which she did...

Every night...

She flopped down on her bed. _Is it possible to be in love with more than one person?_ She thought, thumping her fist on a pillow. _If not, Liberty Van Zandt defeats the impossible, once again... Whoopee..._

She ran a hand through her hair, still drying from the shower. For the millionth time that week her mind wandered to that kiss. It seemed to be burned into her brain. She knew it was possible, it was hot enough. She groaned. Once she got thinking about that kiss, she knew it would be on her mind all night. She had to get changed.

She rifled through her closet and pulled out a dark red silk skirt that went down about three inches below the knee. Classy, but not old-fashioned. Then she did some more rifling and found an off-white tank-top and a cardigan to match the skirt. She rather liked the look. Pulling her hair up in a fluffy high pony-tail, Liberty took one last glance in the mirror.

She liked what she saw.

She just hoped To-... JT would like it.

_Oh, who am I kidding. Get a grip, Van Zandt. So you've got a little crush. No problem, especially if the guy's supposedly your boyfriend already._

_ Yeah, but, I love JT... and he loves Kendra, so it'll never happen._

_ How can you have a crush if you're already in love? Besides, he kissed you too, you know..._

Her mind continued to fight itself as Liberty slipped on her cardigan. She walked down the steps to the living room, where she found Toby waiting.

_Like a true gentleman... _both feuding parts of her mind ceased their fighting to watch Toby's reaction, as he turned to look at Liberty.

(())

Toby felt Liberty's presence before he saw her. Something in the back of his mind registered that the room felt brighter, warmer, more comfortable when she was around. As he turned to look at her, he was glad he had been sitting down.

He had to blink to make sure she was real. He stood politely, not knowing what else to do. She was stunning. Breath-taking, really. He wanted to believe that this was a real date, but the ever-resounding thought of Kendra and JT was so impaled on his brain, he couldn't get it out. Of course, as soon as the thought of JT and Kendra entered his mind, he immediately thought of that kiss...

That earth-shattering kiss....

That mind-blowing kiss....

That.... Kiss.... There wasn't any other word to describe it. Life-altering was an understatement. He had thought of that kiss every day that week. Every five minutes to be more exact. However, the probability of it ever happening again was about... 4,000,000,000,000 to 1.

Hey, he was a computer guy.

Liberty smiled at him in that way that ever-so-suddenly after that kiss seemed to send his emotions into overdrive. Toby knew she'd forgotten all about that kiss. She'd passed it off as a psychological phenomenon, right? She was over it, and back to chasing the ever-unattainable JT. And so was Toby. He was back to Kendra. But the kiss was embedded in his mind, and it wasn't leaving any time soon. He could practically still feel the way their lips had come together in a way that just felt so.... right...

He had to stop thinking now. Liberty was talking to him.

"So, ready?" she asked, politely.

"Uh, sure." Toby held out his arm for Liberty to take. He wasn't sure what else he could do.

Liberty smiled, and took his arm. They walked out the door, arm in arm, each thinking about what they weren't supposed to be thinking of, and the night that lay ahead.

(())

I know this is kinda short, but I wanted to make this part separate from the game.


	6. The Game

Ok, sorry I'm so late with this. I assume you guys were all waiting for this one: The Game, right? Well, you wont be disappointed.

(())

The thing about walking with someone you don't want to admit you like is that you always have to look at them. No matter what. You always have to sneak that subtle glance at them, a glance that you realize too late could become a stare. The only problem with said stare is that you always get caught.

"Liberty? You ok? You're spacing out." Liberty knew he thought she was spacing out. She was, in actuality, trying not to look at him.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just... hoping our little plan works." She said with a shrug. She was startled though, when Toby put a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll be fine. Remember: This Is A Date. We Like Each Other." He said in a monotone, imitating a zombie. Liberty laughed, knowing she had drilled this into his head all too many times.

He was funny. Kind of like JT.

_Oh no..._ She thought, nearly tripping over her own feet. _We're not going through this again. _

She was again shocked when Toby grabbed her hand.

"Are you ok?" He asked, sounding a little more concerned than he should.

"Yeah, fine. Perfect. Why?" She asked, distractedly. She was still trying to stop herself from comparing the two again.

"Liberty, you're acting like a nutcase. What's wrong?" He asked, still holding her hand.

"Um..." Liberty sighed in defeat. "Oh, I'm just really nervous! Think about it! This is the first real thing we've done outside of school."

"So, this is like... your first mock-date, right?" He said, smiling. Liberty laughed.

"Yes, Isaacs, this happens to be my first mock-date. So you better treat me right! I want no wandering hands, Mister Isaacs, and if I catch you staring at some little blonde in a tube-top I... I'll be hurt." She said in a nagging voice. They both laughed, Liberty's joke breaking the tension. Toby put an arm around her shoulders, and smiled at her warmly.

"Don't worry, Libs, I'll make this the best mock-date you'll ever have."

Liberty smiled as they walked in silence. Unconsciously, she moved closer to her date, enjoying his presence. No, wait, this wasn't a DATE. This was a MOCK-date. She'd have to drill that into her own mind later.

They reached the school in silence, looking around to try and spot JT or Kendra. JT, in his mascot costume minus the head, was sitting on the steps with Paige and Hazel. Kendra was just walking out of the school, looking for Spinner. It was only then Liberty realized that she hadn't thought about her crush, JT, for most of the walk. She smiled at Toby, who appeared to be...

Staring at Kendra.

Wonderful.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him close. He looked at her and smiled. Then he...

Turned back to Kendra.

Just Great.

She started to semi-drag him up the stairs and when they reached the door, she turned to smile at him again. This time he was actually looking at her. He smiled back and mouthed "sorry". She shrugged. She knew he couldn't help it. Still...

It actually kind of hurt.

The way he was looking at her.

Like she was an angel.

She smiled back and put an arm around his waist, walking him into the school. She felt stares, but at the moment she didn't really care. She moved into the gym and sat down on the bleachers. Toby sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her.

"Sorry, Lib. I couldn't help it." Toby apologized sheepishly.

"I understand, Tob. I just didn't want her to notice." She smiled at him. His face brightened, and he pulled her closer. Liberty was feeling very confused.

Her mind was in a tornado, it seemed. JT still made her heart stop and stomach flip... but now, Toby felt.... Warm. Comfortable. Right. As if his arms were made to hold her like that. As if his eyes were meant to look at her like that. As if she was meant to stay with him like that forever.

For the first time in her life, Liberty wished she wasn't in love with JT.

More than anything, she wished that Toby had felt that kiss. She wished he had known the fire it had left inside her. It was still burning, making her feel warm and fulfilled, as if she had just eaten a full three-course meal and was curled up on a couch under a blanket, snuggled up against... Toby.

Because the entire picture wouldn't be complete without Toby.

You couldn't feel that kiss without Toby.

It just felt like if Toby wasn't there, something about it wouldn't be the same.

The game started, and it seemed as if no one was really paying any attention to the game. They were all looking at Liberty and Toby. It was as if they couldn't grasp the two being together.

Liberty giggled, despite herself. Toby turned to her.

"What?" He asked, bewildered.

"People are staring." She said with a smirk. Toby laughed, smiling back.

"Good." He smirked. Liberty laughed, surprised that the usually cautious boy was so liberal about the attention he was now receiving from the Degrassi-supporting crowd.

"Toby," She laughed. "People are talking..." she just barely noticed JT and Kendra step through the door, immediately spotting them in their cozy position. JT's eyes immediately went wide, the way they only did when he couldn't in a million years believe what he was seeing. Kendra's eyes, however, were now narrowed into slits. She looked ready to charge, like an angry lion. Liberty turned her attention back to Toby, who was grinning. He saw her see them. It was time for drastic measures.

And with a smirk, Toby leaned closer.

"Then lets give them something to talk about..."

And he kissed her.

For the second time.

And it felt just as good.

(())

Toby had no idea what he was doing. Something about the night.... Liberty looked beautiful.... The night air felt still and cool.... He was in the school, in front of virtually everyone who mattered.... Or maybe it was just.... Everything...

Or none of the above. Maybe it was something else... Some unintelligible force that Liberty carried with her everywhere she went, that made him want to take a risk and have some fun for once.

It was supposed to be a light peck, that was it. But it didn't turn out that way.

It was tender... sweet... Liberty's lips moved so perfectly with his, they felt just right. They moved slowly. It was mare than anything they really knew at the moment. The word 'love' was too complicated. 'Love' can be taken so many ways... But this was simple... a simple, warm, tender... and so many other words that haven't been invented. It was like there was nothing else to be said or done. The feeling couldn't be compared. It was to itself an entirely new sensation.... but somehow, Toby knew he'd felt it the minute he met Liberty.

It was.... something....

More than something.....

Everything....

And in that moment, he said something he never thought he'd say...

(())

Liberty was in a dilemma.

She was falling head over heels in love, for the second time.

And this was bad.

But she didn't care.

She felt more than herself. She felt like an alternate person, as if she was changed with every move of his lips on hers. Like she was supposed to fly away, but Toby was holding her down, keeping her grounded. Making sure she was still here.

Making sure this sun didn't set...

Making sure this night never ended...

As if this was meant forever...

And then she heard it... and felt it....

Whispered against her lips...

"Liberty, I think I like you...."

She pulled away, stunned. Shocked. Nearly scared out of her wits. Toby looked stunned as well, as if he couldn't believe what he had just said. She brought her fingers against her lips, still feeling a little dizzy from that kiss...

She turned to see most of the gym looking in their direction. Especially a certain dirty-blonde class clown. And a black-haired ex-girlfriend. Both looking shocked, even a little angry.

JT looked... sad... angry... a little remorseful... He was staring straight at her with his blue-green eyes.... like a heart just broken.

Liberty couldn't take it. It was getting too hard. She was so confused...

She sent Toby a look that screamed more than sorrow, and stood. She walked quickly out of the school. As soon as she got outside, she felt the tears start falling.

_What is WRONG with me?!?! What happened to the calm, rational, organized Liberty?! What happened?! _

_ She got caught off guard. Cupid had to go play sniper. Me. Toby. JT. Never saw It coming. Thanks, Cupid. Thanks alot. I really appreciate it. _

_ NO! NO! NONONONONO!!!! This can't be happening!!!!!_

_ It is, get used to it._

She was in the schoolyard by now, crying her eyes out on a bench. The night air felt still and comforting, as if there was nothing to stop her from running away. The night was sympathizing with her. She nearly laughed at the thought.

"Liberty..." A voice behind her caught her attention. She wiped her eyes, and turned her head slowly.

JT....


	7. Caring Enough To Follow

Oh, I know, Evil Cliffie!! Seriously, I've fallen in love with this story as much as you have. I'm so into writing it, I've thought about this chapter like every five seconds since I wrote the last one. So, here we go!

(())

_JT... Great, just what I need right now..._

Liberty was fairly sure the boy standing behind her at this time was here to talk. And taking to JT right then would probably not be the best idea. But, despite all the nasty things they've thrown back and forth between each other, she never could turn JT away. She didn't know why.

She sighed and looked away. "Hey JT." _Oh, please, please PLEASE make him go away!!_

"You ran out of there pretty quick. You ok?"he asked, sitting next to her slowly, as if he thought she would run away again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just nervous with the attention, that's all." She said, her voice a little shaky. She prayed he wouldn't notice.

"You don't sound fine." JT moved closer to look her straight in the eye. "I think you and the Tobester are having problems in paradise..." he said, searching her eyes.

Liberty had trouble even thinking about that last sentence. She wasn't sure she would be able to stop herself from crying. She watched him search her eyes and felt him move closer. She was sure he knew. Just certain. She wanted more than anything to believe otherwise, but she was sure this wouldn't be happening at all unless he was joking, or being stupid. And Liberty didn't know if she could take that right now.

Though, actually, if it was a joke, it would be a relief...

If he was joking, that would prove she needed to move on. She could get rid of this stupid confusing love-triangle and be with Toby. Sweet Toby, who she was now in like with, and who she knew would never break her heart.

"Yeah, I see it... what's wrong, you can tell me..." He asked, in a soft, smooth voice that made Liberty melt inside.

"I... I like Toby..." She answered, knowing if she told him anymore, everything would crumble.

"So? You guys are going out. What's the problem?" JT asked.

But Liberty wasn't listening. She was looking at Toby who had just come out the school doors and seemed to be looking for her. She looked from Toby, to JT, to Toby, to JT.

There it was. Perfectly displayed.

There was JT, sitting next to her, close to her heart forever, but forever in search of something else. She knew jealousy wasn't something real. She'd figured that out as soon as she heard his voice. Why she thought it was, she couldn't tell you. But what she knew now was that jealousy is not something to play with. This is where it gets you.

And there was Toby. On the school steps, a fairly short distance away, but still further than JT. Just looking for her because he liked her. That's what Liberty wanted. But there was one hurtle to cross:

Kendra.

Of course he still liked Kendra.

Because that just made everything perfect.

But there they were. Her choices. The ever-popular, ever desirable JT. The sweet, goofy/intellectual Toby. There they were. More than just standing there, but practically screaming at her to choose. She wanted to just run away.

So she did.

She got up and ran. She didn't pay attention to JT or Toby. She just ran.

She ran for what seemed like hours. She wanted to forget they existed. It felt as if she were flying, and falling, and crashing all at once. She wanted to cry but she couldn't. Something was holding her back. It was hard to fathom, she didn't really understand what was happening. She was in a spin-cycle, going a thousand miles per hour with no end in sight.

Finally, she reached her front doorstep, and collapsed in a heap. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She wanted more than anything to pretend she wasn't in love. Toby.... JT.... they were both great. She liked them both. But it felt like now, it was more than that. She loved JT... AND Toby.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as it finally hit home. What was she going to do? Cut all ties? With who? She couldn't do it. She needed them both. She loved JT, it had to be love. What else makes your stomach flop and your heart flutter?

_A crush?_ Her mind answered.

She wiped her eyes. Perhaps... perhaps she'd had it wrong the whole time. She was in love with Toby and had a crush on JT? She didn't know. All she knew was she had feelings for both of them. And it felt like it was about to kill her. She felt like She wanted to hide. She wanted to go somewhere far away and just stay there.

She was too confused.

Liberty Van Zandt does not get confused.

But she was.

"Liberty?" a voice behind her called. She turned to see Toby coming up the block.

She smiled.

She may be in love with both of them, but only one cared enough to follow.


End file.
